Everyone knows that washing things regularly is important for your health. This is especially important if there is a child in the house. It should be carefully looked after, because babies have delicate skin and weak immunity. You should start by destroying harmful microorganisms. Of course, today it is much easier to wash thanks to the advent of modern technology, but you still need to take into account several features.
Basic washing rules
- Children's clothes should be washed separately from adults. If there is feces on them, you should first wash them off with water, and if necessary, rub them with a brush.
- It is better to wash things right away, as it is easier to put them in order while the dirt is fresh.
- If the clothes are very dirty, it is better to initially rinse them with water and leave them in a soapy solution for at least an hour.
- Be sure to rinse your children's things thoroughly, otherwise the remaining powder may cause itching.
- It is also better to dry children's clothes separately from adults; try to hang them so that dust from the street does not get on them.
- Ironing clothes on both sides is good for disinfection. Ironing is a must.
- It is better to wash mother’s things with special means, especially for women who are breastfeeding.
- Interestingly, the grandmothers believed that during the first month of a child’s life, his urine was clean, so it was enough to just dry the diapers and not wash them. However, it is better not to listen to such advice, but also to remember that there is nothing wrong with clothes washed at the wrong time.
Soap nuts
A popular environmentally friendly product that is also great for washing clothes for newborns. These are the dried shells of the Soap Berry plant (grows in India and some eastern countries).
They are placed in a linen bag, and upon contact with hot water they form foam due to the presence of natural detergent components - saponins. The bag is placed directly in the drum of the machine for the entire washing time. Nuts can be used several times, drying thoroughly.
Selecting a detergent
The stores offer a wide range of different products for washing children's clothes. Be sure to study their composition, even if they are marked 0+. Until three months, you should only use simple baby soap, as it does not cause irritation. But powders based on it are not suitable due to the content of aggressive phosphates in them.
In the fourth month of life, you can use other washing products. But even then, do not buy powders with chlorine, phosphates and surfactants. Fragrance-free laundry gels are also a good choice. They remove dirt well and do not cause irritation in children.
Hypoallergenic powder, rating
Soap-based formulations are considered safe for children. Natural ingredients and plant extracts are beneficial for the skin. They soothe the skin and eliminate irritation.
The best universal phosphate-free laundry detergents that can be used from birth:
- Main Liebe.
- Frosh.
- Umka.
- The world of childhood.
Soap based:
- Tobby kids.
- Baby line.
- Our mother.
- Bio myo.
With disinfectant properties:
- Burti baby.
- Garden kids.
These products can be used to wash clothes manually and in an automatic machine. They are distinguished by their economical consumption and natural composition. They are odorless and can be easily removed by rinsing.
Machine washable
Of course, using an automatic machine is very convenient; you should choose a high temperature, then you can get rid of bacteria without difficulty. However, taking into account the fact that adult clothes are also washed in the same machine, this is not the best option. If you do wash there (and, most likely, this is what happens), give preference to the baby or delicate mode.
Up to a year, it is better not to wash adult shoes and outerwear in the same machine as children's clothes. It is better to avoid air conditioners and bleaches altogether.
At the end of the wash cycle, install an additional rinse to ensure that all chemical components are thoroughly removed from the clothing. Sometimes mothers grate baby soap and place it in the powder compartment; this is the most natural option.
What to do if stains won't come off?
The main method of combating such severe pollution is speed. If you manage to remove the stain without delay, the results will most likely be excellent.
In other cases, you will have to try using different means, including folk ones:
- Milk stains should be washed in cool water with soap and a few drops of ammonia;
- Wipe the fruit juice stain with a cotton swab dipped in a mixture of ammonia and water, and wash after a while;
- Fruit stain - mix vodka with glycerin (1:1) and wipe the stain;
- A fresh grease stain can be removed using warm bread crumbs or soap solution;
- Blood stains can be removed with cold water and baby soap;
- A tea stain can be removed by wiping it with a cotton swab dipped in a mixture of ammonia (half a teaspoon) and glycerin (2 teaspoons).
Hand wash
Not all parents have time for this, but it makes sense to wash certain stains this way. Do not forget about the following rules in this case.
It is worth sorting clothes by color and degree of soiling.
It is important to soak things in soapy water for a period of half an hour, for dirty clothes up to two hours.
The dirtiest places should be rubbed, some even twice.
Rinse in hot water once, and then twice more in warm water and once in cool water. As a result, the water should remain without soap foam.
The ideal solution would be to combine hand and machine washing. Items such as rompers, undershirts and caps should be washed by hand, but diapers, blankets and bed linen are best washed by machine.
Manually
Hand washing should be done at a sufficiently high temperature. You can use hot water at a tolerable temperature or wear two gloves on both hands - cotton and rubber.
Procedure:
- Washing powder or grated baby soap is diluted in prepared water.
- Dip children's clothes into soapy water.
- If there are stained areas on things, they should be treated separately (soap and rub).
- For better washing, it is advisable to soak things for at least 15 minutes.
- Rub your hands after soaking, paying attention to areas with stains.
- Drain the soapy water.
- Rinse things, changing the water at least 3 times.
You should rinse things not in hot, but in warm water. The last rinse is cold.
Washing new clothes
Not everyone knows that even brand new baby clothes need to be washed. Thanks to this, it is possible to get rid of paint residues and possible bacteria remaining on the clothes. Children's clothes are often treated with starch to give them a marketable appearance; it should also be washed out of new items in children's wardrobes. The same goes for diapers. Timely washing guarantees the health of children.
Items such as fur envelopes and other warm clothing are especially difficult to disinfect. In this case, you should use a steam generator or even a simple iron in steam mode instead of washing. Steam treatment must be done both inside and outside the item.
In front of the maternity hospital
When preparing things for the baby before the maternity hospital, you should inspect and wash them. This is necessary both for new things and for those passed down from older children. You can wash the first items by hand or use a machine for this.
To do this, you must comply with all requirements for the care of children's clothing, including:
- washing using products approved for newborns;
- thorough rinsing;
- ironing on both sides;
- storage after processing in a closed cellophane bag.
It is important to choose things made from natural materials, even if they are inferior in beauty to their synthetic counterparts. For the health of the newborn, all products must be made from hypoallergenic materials.
At what temperature should I wash?
Hand washing in hot water is, of course, problematic. You will have to stock up on cotton gloves, over which you need to put rubber ones. This way you will save your hands. It is much easier to machine wash; just set cotton to 90 degrees. At this temperature, undershirts, rompers, socks, caps, diapers and bedding are washed. Pay attention to the information on the label, it usually indicates the preferred washing temperature.
Colored items, as well as knitted ones, are washed at 40 degrees; if you set the temperature higher, they may lose their presentation. Woolen and other warm items are washed at only 30 degrees. This is true for suits, sweaters and overalls. But heavy dirt can only be removed at 90 degrees.
Many mothers wonder whether it is possible to boil children’s things. This method allows you to disinfect clothes and bedding, which is especially important after a child’s illness. Washing machines have a temperature of 95 degrees; this mode may well become an alternative to boiling. But diapers should not be boiled at all; a temperature of 40 to 60 degrees is sufficient for them. Only things that have lost their whiteness should be boiled.
Useful tips
Stains on diapers and clothes of a newborn are better removed in cold water. Rub problem areas with laundry soap and soak in a basin for several hours. Then wash as usual.
You can remove a fresh stain on clothing with a damp cloth. If the stain does remain, it will be easier to remove during washing.
Dealing with complex old stains is more difficult. To do this, you need to treat the stain with laundry soap and wash it. In especially difficult cases, use stain removers for children's clothes.
Following practical advice, you can prepare diapers and clothes for your baby at the maternity hospital. Choosing a detergent is not difficult if you pay attention to the composition. It is better to use gel to clean newborn clothes. It is convenient, practical and safe. Maintain the temperature conditions to preserve the original appearance of things for a long time.
How to store children's clothes?
A significant role is played not only by washing and ironing children's clothes, but also by their proper storage. After all, furniture and household items contain harmful bacteria and microorganisms. Therefore, for storage it is worth selecting a separate closet or chest of drawers, which should be washed from time to time.
Storage of children's clothing usually does not last long, because children's wardrobe items are often used and outgrown quickly. That's why it's worth placing them so that it's easy to get out. Place those items that need to be taken out especially often closest, and then those that need to be used less often. Store outerwear separately from other things.
Reviews from experienced mothers
I bought the first baby powder I came across - Eared Nannies. Everything is ok, no reactions. Children are completely viable creatures. If there are no allergies in the family and the child has no reactions, then why create problems where there are none.
Guest
https://www.woman.ru/kids/baby/thread/4739252/
For now, the newborn is just a household. soap and ironed everything. I started washing with powder after a year and then I chose one without phosphate.
minskaya.djulia
https://www.woman.ru/kids/baby/thread/4739252/
It's simple: buy any baby soap, preferably from Neva cosmetics, and give your husband the task of rubbing it on a grater. All. Pour this crumb into the powder compartment and wash it for your health. What kind of hands are there to wash, or do anything else? Three months on the crumbs, then switch to “Stork”. My son will soon be seven, the washing machine is the same, so nothing will happen to it if such a question arises in your mind.
Guest
https://www.woman.ru/kids/baby/thread/4739252/
Washing machine with any baby powder. The first time, an additional rinse. Well, separately, of course, from other things. I stroked it until the umbilical wound healed, then it didn’t.
mari
https://forum.littleone.ru/showthread.php?t=7347780
Everyone praises Eared Nanny, but we have an allergy to him, our daughter is covered in a rash. So now with pens and soap. Sometimes I squeezed a large volume in the machine.
Olya Bannikova
https://deti.mail.ru/forum/nashi_deti/ot_rozhdenija_do_goda/a_kak_vy_stirali_ili_stiraete_veshhi_novorozhdennogo/?page=2
And from my own experience I will say this: for the first six months it’s good to use soap powder - it’s healthier (Our mother or the Israeli Baby line - but it has a stronger smell) + rinse aid 1/2 of the recommended dose (Our mother again). You need to iron a new thing for a baby on both sides (if you’re too lazy, only on the inside), after wearing it, you can quickly iron it on the outside - just so that it becomes soft and pleasant to the body. From 6 months you can switch to chemical powders (Eared Nanny or others). I’ve never washed it by hand beforehand - the machine picks up all the stains, the only thing is don’t store it for a long time - straight into the wash. I set it to 40 degrees for cotton with additional rinsing. Even though we are allergic, we have never had a reaction to powders like this.
Lelya
https://www.babyblog.ru/questions/archive/20509
